A Narrative Of Captivity In Abyssinia With Some Account Of The Late Emperor Theodore, His Country And People By Henry Blanc
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Shortly After Reaching Our Tent, Mr. Rassam Received
A Polite Note, Informing Him That He Would Receive 5,000 Dollars,
Which He Might Spend As He Liked, But Always In A Manner Agreeable
To The Lord.
A verbal message was also sent to me to inquire
if I knew anything about smelting iron, casting guns, etc.:
To which
I answered, in pursuance of friendly advice, that I was ignorant
of everything except my own medical profession.
CHAPTER VIII.
Leave the Emperor's Camp for Kourata - The Tana Sea - The Abyssinian
Navy - The Island of Dek - Arrival at Kourata - The Gaffat People and
former Captives join us - Charges preferred against the latter - First
Visit to the Emperor's Camp at Zage - Flattery before Coercion.
On the 6th of February his Majesty sent us word to depart. We did
not see him, but before we left he sent us a letter informing us
that as soon as the prisoners joined us he would take steps to send
us out of his country in "honour and safety." The officer ordered
to proceed to Magdala to deliver the captives, and conduct them to
us, was one of our escort; we were the bearers of an humble apology
from Theodore to our Queen: all smiled upon us; and rejoiced beyond
expression by the apparently complete success of our mission, we
retraced our steps with a light and thankful heart through the
plains of Agau Medar. On the afternoon of the 10th of February, we
encamped on the shore of the Tana Sea, a large fresh-water lake,
the reservoir of the Blue Nile. The river enters at the south-west
extremity of the lake, and issues again at its south-east extremity,
the two branches being only separated by the promontory of Zage.
[Illustration: VILLAGE OF KANOA, IN WANDIGE.]
The spot we pitched our camp upon was not far from Kanoa, a pretty
village in the district of Wandige, Kourata being almost opposite
to us, bearing N.N.E. We had to wait several days while boats were
constructed for ourselves, escort, and luggage. These boats - of the
most primitive kind of construction still in existence - are made
of bulrushes, the papyrus of the ancients. The bulrushes are tied
together so as to form a flat surface some six feet in breadth and
from ten to twenty feet in length. The two extremities are then
rolled up and tied together. The passengers and boatmen sit upon a
large square bundle of bulrushes forming the essential part of the
boat, which the outward cage serves only to keep in place, and by
its pointed extremities to favour progression. To say that these
boats leak is a mistake; they are full of water, or rather, like a
piece of cork, always half submerged: their floating is simply a
question of specific gravity. The manner in which the boats are
propelled adds greatly to the discomfort of the traveller. Two men
sit in front, and one behind. They use long sticks, instead of oars,
beating the water alternately to the right and left; at each stroke
they send in front and from behind jets of spray like a shower-bath,
and the unfortunate occupant of the boat, who had beforehand taken
off his shoes and stockings and well tucked up his trousers, finds
that he would have been wiser had he adopted a more simple costume
still, and followed the example of the naked boatmen.
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